Ephesians 5:21–6:9
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one anotherr out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbandss as you do to the Lord.t 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,u his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbandsv in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives,w just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for herx 26 to make her holy,y cleansingb her by the washingz with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himselfa as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.b 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wivesc as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—30 for we are members of his body.d 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”c e 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wifef as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.g 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”a h
4 Fathers,b do not exasperate your children;i instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.j
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respectk and fear, and with sincerity of heart,l just as you would obey Christ.m 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,n doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,o 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,p whether they are slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yoursq is in heaven, and there is no favoritismr with him.